On our way to Jerusalem
Divine Liturgy for the coming week
Glory to Jesus Christ!
Sunday, 4/13, Palm Sunday — Blessing of Pussywillows and Anointing
8:40 a.m. Lytija and Blessing of Bread
9:00 a.m. For the people of the parish
10:30 a.m, God’s blessing and health for Jacek Smigelski
Epistle: Philippians 4:4-9
Gospel: John 12:1-18, Tone 7
Monday, 4/14, Great and Holy Monday Our Holy Father Martin, Pope of Rome
9:00 a.m. +Roman Markiw (Pan.) requested by the Yanovski family
Tuesday, 4/15, Holy Apostles Aristarchus, Pudens
9:00 a.m. Special Intention
Wednesday, 4/16/25 Great and Holy Wednesday, Holy Martyrs Agape, Irene and Chionia
9:00 a.m. No particular intention for the Divine Liturgy
Thursday, 4/17, Great and Holy Thursday
7:00 p.m. Matins with the proclamation of the Passion Gospels
Friday, 4/18, Great and Holy Friday
—Today is a day of fasting and strict abstinence: meat and dairy products are forbidden
5:00 p.m. Vespers and Veneration of the Holy Shroud
Saturday, 4/19, Great and Holy Saturday
9:00 a.m. Divine Liturgy (Blessing of Bread)
4:00 p.m. Blessing of Easter Foods
6:00 p.m. Blessing of Easter Foods
Prayer at the Tomb
Sunday, 4/20, Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ
—Blessing of Arthos, Anointing, and Blessing of Easter Foods
9:15 a.m. Procession and Paschal Matins
10:30 a.m. For the people of the parish
Epistle: Acts. 1:1-8
Gospel: John 1:1-17, Tone 7
Parish news
This week vigil light is offered by Katia and Andrew Bamber in memory of Wasylyna Yukash.
A special thanks to Rudolph Brezicki for donating the beautiful pussywillows for today, Palm Sunday.
The 20th Easter Egg Hunt sponsored by New Haven’s UNA, Branch 414, will be held on Palm Sunday, Sunday 13, at Noon, on the Parish Grounds. It is open to parish youth and Ridna Shkola students from ages 0-13.
We will have the Ukrainian Easter Bazaar, Sunday, April 13th from 12:00 noon to 4:00 pm. You can buy Easter baskets, Ukrainian jewelry, candles, souvenirs, Easter cards, embroidery clothes, pastries, homemade food, Egg decorating supplies, etc.
The traditional Easter parish “SVIACHENE” will be held on May 4, following the Divine Liturgy. We will celebrate only one (1) Divine Liturgy at 10:30 A.M. We will be running a raffle. If you would like to donate any items to be raffled, please bring them to our church hall on Sundays before our “Sviachene” or on Sunday May 4. Tickets are $35.00 for adults, $15.00 for youth from 12 to 18. Free for altar boys, and under 12. Also we ask you to donate cakes for desert. We trust that all parishioners will join this parish gathering and through their presence attest to cherishing in our hearts a love for one another which builds our PARISH.FAMILY. We will not sell tickets at the door. All profit is to cover the expenses of church hall renovation.
Please join us for special screening of the film TIMESTAMP ay Yale on Wednesday, April 16, 7:30 pm at HQL01, 320 York St, New Haven. This film is a documentary feature by renowned Ukrainian director Kateryna Gomostai. Set in schools across wartime Ukraine. Timestamp offers an intimate observational portrait of daily life for students and teachers stiving to sustain education and normalcy. Filmed without interviews or narration, the documentary presents a raw, mosaic-like view of school communities adapting to learning under the constant threat of violence.
The Panakhyda Service at the Gravesites will take place on Saturday June 7, at 11:00 am at All Saints Cemetery and Sunday June 8, at 1:00 pm at St. Lawrence Cemetery. Please call the rectory office for appointment.
Lazarus Saturday
Today, the day before Palm (willow Sunday) we honor Lazarus.
The Fourth Sunday of Lent: forming virtue
On the 4th Sunday of Lent on the Byzantine liturgical calendar, we remember a great monastic father, St. John Climacus (579-649). He wrote a book called, “The Ladder of Divine Ascent,” encouraging his monks to grow in virtue. Various virtues and asdcetical practices are compared to rungs on a ladder. These are good disciplines for us also during the Lenten season.
Second Sunday of Lent-Remembrance of St. Gregory of Palamas
Today is the Second Sunday of Lent– Remembrance of St. Gregory of Palamas
O all-wise one, your words and sacred writings are to those who draw near to them; a heavenly dew, honey from the rock, the bread of angels, nourishing food, and sweetness, O Gregory, fount of living water. (From Matins)
Divine Liturgy for the coming week
Glory to Jesus Christ!
Sunday, 3/16, Second Sunday of Lent –Commemoration of St. Gregory Palamas
9:00 a.m. For the people of the parish
10:30 a.m. +Teodor Czabala requested by Stefan Czumak
Epistle: Hebrews 1:10-2:3
Gospel: Mark 2:1-12, Tone 2
Monday, 3/17, Our Venerable Father Alexis
9:00 a.m. +Teodor Czabala requested by M/M Walter Terela
Tuesday, 3/18, Our Holy Father Cyril
9:00 a.m. +Gregory Levitzky (Pan.) requested by Joseph M. Levitzky
Wednesday, 3/19, Holy Martyrs Chrysanthus and Daria
9:00 a.m. God’s blessing and health for Jane and Fred Finnigan requested by M/M Joseph Kossar
Thursday, 3/20, Our Venerable Fathers Martyred of St. Sabbas
9:00 a.m. God’s blessing and health for Katlin and Al Jones requested by M/M Joseph Kossar
Friday, 3/21, Our Venerable Father James
7:00 p.m. Divine Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts
Saturday, 3/22, Holy Priest Martyr Basil
9:00 a.m. All deceased of the Parish- Sorokousty
Sunday, 3/23, Third Sunday of Lent —Veneration of the Holy Cross
9:00 a.m. For the people of the parish
10:30 a.m. God’s blessing and health for Fr. Stepan Yanovski requested by Sestretsi
+Roman Lutsiuk -panachyda
Epistle: Hebrews 4:14-5:6
Gospel: Mark 8:34-9:1, Tone 3
Parish News
Christ is among us!
This week vigil light is offered by Marion Piggott in memory of all deceased of Piggott and Waselik families.
Our parish mission will be preached by Fr. Bohdan Tymchyshyn rector of St. Basil Seminary on Saturday, April 5 and Sunday, April 6. The Mystery of Penance (Confession) will be available.
Our parish will be taking orders for Easter paska (Easter bread) until April 6. The paska will be available for pick up on Sunday, April 13. To place an order call Natala Lyalka at 203-824-8567. All profits will help to cover the expenses of the church hall renovation.
The traditional Easter parish dinner “SVIACHENE” will be held on Sunday, May 4, following the Divine Liturgy. We will celebrate only one (1) Divine Liturgy at 10:30 a.m. We will be running a raffle. If you would like to donate any items to be raffled, please bring them to our church hall on Sundays before our “Sviachene” or on Sunday, May 4. Tickets are $35.00 for adults, $15.00 for youth from 12 to 18. Free for altar boys, and under 12. Also we ask you to donate cakes for desert. We trust that all parishioners will join this parish gathering and through their presence attest to cherishing in our hearts a love for one another which builds our parish family. We will not sell tickets at the door. All profits will help to cover the expenses of church hall renovation.
Sorokoutsy — All Souls’ Saturdays will be celebrated March 22, March 29 and June 7. Please take a book found at the entrance of the church, fill it out, place it in envelope, and drop it in the collection basket. Let us remember all our loved ones who have gone to their heavenly reward. Eternal Memory!
FOOD DONATIONS: A container is in our church vestibule for non-perishable food for those in need. Please give generously new items within the expiration date. These items will be given out to the poor in our community. Thank you for your generosity and support.
Sunday of Adam’s Exile from Paradise
EXILE
(Sunday of Adam’s Exile from Paradise)
This Sunday immediately preceding the beginning of Lent recalls the Exile from Paradise, inviting us to embrace “Adam’s Lament” over a Paradise Lost. How and why should we relate to the whole topic of *Exile*, which is a leitmotif of Great Lent? Note that it’s also the main theme of Psalm 136/137, By the Rivers of Babylon…, chanted in our churches these past three Sundays. So, there’s something very important about *Exile* that we’re meant to recognize as part of our human (or human-divine) story, as we enter into the voluntary, communal *Lament* of the Lenten season.
We all experience some form of exile, or separation from something or someone beloved, at some point in our lives. Some of us are from war-torn or otherwise troubled countries, which we had to leave and which we might miss. Some of us have experienced a painful divorce from a once-beloved spouse. Others of us might have lost our jobs; or lost a loved one who passed away, and we might feel lost without them. Maybe we have experienced burnout in this or that occupation, and feel we have lost ourselves. Or maybe we have lost our freedom by slipping into a crippling addiction or obsession, which now alienates us from others, to some degree.
These are all different experiences that can help us relate to the biblical narratives related to *Exile*. And we can channel our pain toward and into the healing hands of a loving Father, our loving God, who clothes us (as He made clothing for Adam and Eve at the end of Genesis 3) before entrusting us with the new, productive work we are given to do henceforth in our Exile. This “work” is described in Genesis 3 as bearing children and working the soil, symbolizing the kinds of God-given creativity we are blessed with in different ways, our creativity that brings forth new life in our world.
It’s not a joyless or unproductive “lament,” is my point, even while we do have this hole in our hearts that “remembers” our Paradise Lost. On the way of the cross, which is always leading to resurrection, our pain is transfigured into new life, with God’s blessing and “clothing.” The new clothing in the era of the Church is our being clothed in Christ, all of us who are baptized in Christ. We’re getting back in touch with this reality, with these truths, throughout Lent, so we can “re-story” ourselves and regain a proper perspective of our common, human-divine story, which is neither meaningless nor purposeless in our Exile. Anyway, these are a few thoughts on our upcoming, dignifying journey towards Pascha. Happy upcoming Lent to you, dear friends. Forgive me and pray for me a bit, if you could.
Cheesefare Sunday
Today, Cheesefare Sunday also known as Forgiveness Sunday – March 2nd.
For those who observe the full fasting disciplines, today we say farewell to dairy products until Pascha. The Church, in her wisdom, gives us good advice: fast as you are able. But do something.
Listen closely when you next pray the Our Father.
Blessed Lent!